The After Party

Made another adventurous trip to San Antonio's White Rabbit to see my buddies from The After Party rock the stage!  It's been months seen I've seen them, and I'm glad that I did on Friday, December 2nd.

The White Rabbit has two stages, so it gives concert-goers the opportunity to see two "shows" for the price of one - talk about more bang for your buck!  When my best friend and I arrived, the first band we saw was Erasing the Messenger.  We only saw the last two songs of their set, but they exerted a pure pop rock sound that you can easily dance to.  They were a rather young group, so they have much potential to grow and gain a loyal fan base!

The venue is a hot spot for bands because it tends to attract local bands of San Antonio, and the band that had the biggest crowd was Another Song for a Girl.  Last time I was at the White Rabbit, they performed, and I remember them to be quite good!  They have a punk rock (maybe even pop-punk) sound that really gets the crowd going.  It's amazing to see how rowdy the crowd got.  There were many mosh pit dancers, and they nearly knocked the whole crowd over when they raced to the stage to sing with the lead singer, Reed Washington.  I'd say there were about five to seven guys screaming into the microphone with Reed, and it was a beautiful sight to see.  It's as if the band and the crowd were performing together as one united force - at one point Reed came out into the audience and sang and got mobbed by the mosher guys.  Another great thing that happened during the set was that we all sang "Happy Birthday" to Reed, and it was tres cute!  I can't wait to see where this group goes, and if any of you get the chance to see them in the future, don't miss out!

Tried to get all four guys in one pic on stage but failed.  Sorry Kenny!

The highlight of our night was seeing The After Party guys perform.  It's always a delight watching them rock it out because my best friend and I have seen them five times now, and they never disappoint us or the crowd.  While they were on stage, we hung out with an old friend of the bassist, Brandon (right), who was seeing them live for the first time.  Needless to say, he said they were awesome.  Their infectious beats will draw you in, but the catchy lyrics and melodies will get you dancing almost instantly.  I'd like to see someone try to not dance to their music.  Don't believe me?  Go watch their music videos for "Can't Stop" and "Secret Lover."

If I haven't emphasized it enough, The After Party are definitely on their way to the top.  I chose them as my subject for a documentary assignment for my screenwriting class, and I mapped out their musical career from the past two years.  They've accomplished a lot.  I wish I could name them all, but that would take too long.  To jumpstart 2012, the boys will be touring with the notorious Allstar Weekend, and they'll be back in Texas in early February.  Be sure to see them when you can!  Unfortunately they won't be stopping in Austin but definitely will only be an hour away in San Antonio on Friday, February 3rd!

After the guys performed, they had a massive crowd of fans surrounding their merch table.  Once the guys loaded up their equipment into the van, named Little Miss TAP, they sold merch, signed stuff, and took numerous pictures.  If I had to choose a band that is really down to earth and truly love their fans, it's these guys (and I'm not being biased).  They seriously care a lot about them and do their best to make them happy!

The last band that we saw caught our attention from the outside hangout area with their cover of "The Kill" by 30 Seconds to Mars and then a cover of a Guns N Roses song (the title escapes me - I fail).  They were another young band - young looking and playing covers - but they were good.  They definitely have potential.  I especially loved the female vocalist.  She can belt out melodies almost flawlessly.  They call themselves...7,8,9 or Seven Eight Nine or something along those lines.  I wish I could locate them on Facebook.  To close out the night, they played an original song and it was quite catchy; my best friend and I were humming it when we left the stage area.  I hope to see more of them.

Overall, it was a nice trip down to San Antonio, and I can't wait to go back!